Feeler mechanism for looms



May 6, 1952 G. M. LANE FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 19, 1951 GEORGE M. LANE,

INVENTOR- ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 6, 195.2

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEELER MECHANISM FOR. LOOMS George M. Lane, Greensboro, N. 0. Application February 19, 1951, Serial No. 211,650

This invention relates to an improved feeler mechanism for looms and having a feeler adapted to be engaged by the filling on a bobbin carried.

by a suitable shuttle in the loom upon the beatup stroke of the loom and which is adapted to stop the loom upon substantial exhaustion of the filling on the bobbins carried by the shuttle.

The shuttle box of the loom and the shuttle in which the bobbin is carried is conventional and is not shown and has suitable slots therein through which the feeler passes on a beat-up stroke of the loom to engage the filling on the bobbin therein. As long'as there is filling on the bobbin the feeler is reciprocated back and forth into the feeler stand and stoppage of the loom does not occur or a bobbin transfer operation is not efiected. However, upon the feeler engaging the bobbin itself it will sideswipe the bobbin or move laterally and will set in motion certain transfer mechanism to transfer the exhausted bobbin from the shuttle and replenish the same with a new bobbin in the case of a battery or replenishing loom or will stop the loom in the case of the loom not being equipped with an automatic replenishing means. I Now, in the conventional type of feelermechanism, the feeler, per se, is moved back and forth in the feeler stand by means of engaging the full bobbin and this causes a chafing of the yarns on the bobbin. Also, while the bobbin is full of filling, there is a tendency for the feeler to sideswipe and to give a false indication to thus eject a practically full bobbin or to stop the loorri in the event that it is not a self-replenishing type. It is an object of this invention to provide a feeler mechanism in which the feeler, upon the first beat-up stroke of the lay after a replenish-1 ing operation, will become latched partially within the casing to where it will still be engaged by the yarn on the bobbin but will not be reciprocated its full length and, upon the filling on the bobbin being'consumed to a predetermined point the feeler will be barely touched by the filling on the bobbin, which will serve to unlatch the same and allow it to operate in the usual manner until the filling has been exhausted from the bobbin to the point where the roughened end of the feeler will slip sidewise along the bobbin and effect a replenishing or stopping operation. 7

' Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which t, Figure 1 is a plan view of the feeler stand with the cover removed and showing the parts in the 7 Claims. (Cl. 139-270) 2 position they will initially occupy following a replenishing operation;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l but showing the position of the parts upon a full beat-up stroke of the lay of the loom with a full bobbin therein;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the position of parts when the filling has become partially exhausted from the bobbin to a point where the feeler will be latched against rearward movement and showing the bobbin in a position it would occupy in the course of a stroke of the lay and in advance of the lay' reaching the end of its stroke;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the feeler after it has been released from its latching means and before complete exhaustion of the filling on the bobbin.

In the form of the invention herein shown the feeler is associated with a train ofmechanism calling for replenishment of the filling when the filling on the bobbin has been exhausted except for the initial bunch which is wound thereon, but the replenishing mechanism is not herein shown because details thereof form no part of the present invention and such mechanism may be of the usual or preferred type now well known.

To the loom frame which is not shown there may be secured any desired means for mounting the feeler stand member and, usually, there is a bracket extending rearwardly fromthe loom frame on which a feeler stand is secured. Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral Hi indicates a conventional bobbin which is carried by a shuttle, not shown, and this bobbin has a filling l I wound thereon. At the beginning of the winding of the filling on the bobbin Hi there is usually a small bunch l2 wound near the base of the bobbin and the usual filling wind is carried thereout until the filling is of approximately the size of that shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Secured on said bracket extending from-the loom is a feeler stand i5 which may be secured to the loom frame, not shown, by any suitable means such as a screw passing through a bore IS in the feeler'stand and also passing through the cover of the feeler stand which is omitted in the drawings. The feeler stand I5 also has a slot 20 therein in which an elongated rod or stiff wire 21 is mounted, said rod 2! extending to and being associated with the replenishing controlling mechanism not shown.

The feeler [8 has a looped end portion 23 which is roughened, as at 24, for engagement with the filling on the bobbin H1 or with the bobbin I0 itself upon exhaustion of the filling thereon. The feeler l8 has a lateral extension 25 having a toe 26 which is adapted to engage a stop or lug 2! to limit rearward movement of the feeler |8.

The feeler I8 is urged rearwardly by a tension spring 30 having one end connected to the junction of the lateral extension 25 and the toe 25 and having its other end secured to a pin 3| integral with the feeler stand |5. The pin 3| is surroundedby a slot 33 and between the slots 33 and I! is a raised portion 34 which limits leftwise swinging movement of the feeler |8. However, the slot permits lateral right-hand swinging of the feeler l8 upon exhaustion of the filling on the bobbin I0.

The parts thus far enumerated are conventional except that the feeler stand l has cast integral therewith an extension 40 and the lid, not shown, is likewise provided with such an extension coinciding with the extension 40 to provide additional space in the feeler stand to house the present invention. From the wall of the feeler stand I5 is a pin 4| and there is provided a latch 42 which has a slot 43 therein which is slidably penetrated by the pin 4|. This permits the latch 42 to slide back and forth relative to the pin 4| and to also oscillate thereon.

Secured to the latch 42, as at 44, is a tension spring 45, whose other end is secured to a projection 46 disposed within a suitable slot 41 in the wall of the extension 46. The latch 42 has a surface 50 and also has a hook 5 After a replenishing operation has been effected and, upon the first beat-up stroke of the lay, the filled bobbin will engage the feeler and move it forwardly within the feeler stand i5 to cause the toe 26 to engage the surface 50 and to move the latch 42 all the way forwardly in the extension housing 4!] and, at the same time, it will swing the hook 5| in front of the toe 26. Thus, upon rearward movement of the lay, the toe 26 will engage the hook 5| and latch the feeler in the position shown in Figure 3.

Now, upon subsequent engagement of the feeler by the filling I I on the bobbin l9, the roughened portion 24 of the feeler l8 will not be engaged during the entire swing of the lay but only upon the most forward portion of its swing. Thus, upon each oscillation of the lay, the feeler It! will be moved forwardly to the forward portion of the feeler stand l5 as shown in Figure 2 but will, on all subsequent strokes until substantial exhaustion of the yarn on the bobbin, engage the hook 5| to prevent the feeler from moving any further backwardly than to the position shown in Figure 3.

Now, upon the filling I I being substantially removed from the bobbin, say one-half of it being consumed or any desired amount according to the setting of the apparatus, the feeler will then be moved forwardly only slightly to where the toe 26 will not engage the surface 50 but will be moved forwardly out of contact with the hook 5| momentarily so as to permit the spring 45 to swing the latch about the pin 4| from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 4 as the bobbin I9 subsequently moves rearwardly.

Upon subsequent beat-up strokes of the lay, the toe 26 will not engage the surface 50 but will reciprocate back and forth, with the latch means in the position shown in Figure 4, until the filling with the exception of the initial bunch I2 has been exhausted from the bobbin, At this time, the feeler |8 will slide to the right in the drawings and will thus move the rod or wire 2| to the right to thus actuate the filling replenish ing mechanism or the stop motion of the loom, as the case may be.

It will be noted that the tension spring 45 is connected to the latch 42 at a point slightly rearwardly of the front wall of the slot 43 in the latch 42 and, consequently, as long as the stroke of the feeler I8 is such that the toe 25 thereon will cause the latch 42 to move forwardly, or downwardly in the drawings, to where the point 44 on the latch 42 will move forwardly beyond the pin 4|, the hook 5| on the latch 42 will be urged into operative position so as to be engaged by the free end of the toe 26 upon each stroke of the finger H3 in a rearward direction or upwardly in the drawings. However, when the filling on the bobbin Ill has been substantially exhausted, it is evident that the stroke of the finger l8 would not be sufficient to cause the point 44 on the latch 42 to move forwardly beyond the pin 4|. This would result in the hook 5| being swung outwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 4 with the result that the feeler|8 would then move rearwardly the full length of its normal stroke rather than this stroke being limited by the hook 5| on the latch 42.

It is thus seen that there has been provided an improvement in a feeler mechanism which will latch the feeler IS in midway position with the feeler mechanism during the beginning of the withdrawal of filling from a replenished bobbin and will thus be permitted to be engaged by the filling at a much later point in the swing of the lay and therefore will not chafe the yarn to the extent that the feelers of the type heretofore in use chafe it and it will also overcome the tendency of side slipping the feeler when a full bobbin has been replenished.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the I invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for looms, said feeler mechanism having a feeler stand and. also having a side slipping and re ciprocable feeler therein adapted to be engaged by' 'a filled bobbin, said improvement comprising latch means disposed in the feeler stand, means on the feeler adapted to engage said latch means upon reciprocatory movement being imparted thereto by the bobbin engaging the free end of the same, said latch means being so arranged as to permit strokes of the feeler of relatively short length and means automatically operable upon the filling on the bobbin being substantially exhausted to cause the feeler to be released from said latch means to permit strokes of the feeler of relatively long length.

2. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for looms, said loom having a shuttle provided with a bobbin on which the filling yarn is wound and said feeler mechanism having a side slipping feeler mounted therein to be engaged by the bobbin upon a beat-up movement of the shuttle and also having spring means normally urging the feeler of the feeler mechanism to follow the shuttle for a substantial part of movement of the shuttle in a direction away from the feeler mechanism, said improvement comprising latchmeans disposed in the feeler mechanism, means automatically operable upon 'each beat-up stroke of the shuttle resulting in movement being imparted to the feeler for moving said latch means into operative position for engaging the feeler and to limit movement in a direction towards the bobbin upon a return stroke thereof following a beat-up stroke thereof, and means automatically operable upon the filling'yarn being substantially exhausted from the, bobbin for releasing the feeler from said latch means to permit the feeler to move with the bobbin in a return stroke thereof following a beat-up stroke thereof so the full effective length of the feeler may project from the feeler mechanism upon the yarn being exhausted from the bobbin for effecting side slipping movement of the feeler.

3. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for looms having a feeler stand and also having a side slipping feeler mounted in the feeler stand and said feeler also being movable forwardly and rearwardly in the feeler stand and said feeler mechanism having spring means for normally urging the feeler to a rearward position, said improvement comprising latch means disposed in the feeler stand and engageable by the feeler when the feeler is moved forwardly, a hook on said latch means and movable automatically into operative position to engage the feeler upon the" permitting the feeler to move a greater distance rearwardl than it is permitted to move when engaged by the hook on the latch means.

4. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for an automatic filling replenishing loom in which bobbins are employed and said loom having means for reciprocating the bobbin longitudinally of its axis and Withdrawing the yarn therefrom and also having means for reciprocating the bobbin transversely of its axis at opposed ends of each stroke of the bobbin longitudinally of its axis and said feeler mechanism including a feeler stand spaced transversely of the path of travel of the bobbin as movement is imparted thereto longitudinally of its axis and said feeler mechanism also having a feeler projecting therefrom towards the bobbin and also having spring means for urging the feeler towards the bobbin, said improvement comprising a latch member mounted in the feeler stand and having a surface thereon engageable by the feeler as the feeler is moved forwardly by a bobbin engaging the rear end thereof, said latch member also having a hook thereon spaced rearwardly from said surface. spring means normally urging the hook of said latch member out of the path of travel of the feeler as the feeler is moved forwardly by a bobbin and urging the hook into the path of the feeler when the feeler has been moved to substantially full forward position, said spring means serving to pull said hook out of the path of travel of the feeler when the bobbin moves the feeler forwardly a distance to move the latch member only a very short distance and whereby, upon the yarn being substantially exhausted from the bobbin a shorter stroke will be imparted to the feeler by the bobbin and the feeler will fail to engage the said surface, resulting in failure of the hook to be positioned in the path of the feeler as the feeler is subsequently moved in the direction in which it is biased and resulting in a substantially greater length stroke of the feeler as the bobbin subsequently moves in a direction away from the feeler mechanism.

5. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for automatic looms, said loom having a lay and also having a shuttle provided with a bobbin therein on which filling yarn is wound, said filling mechanism having a filling stand secured to the loom and being provided with a feeler which is adapted to be engaged by the yarn on the bobbin upon a beat-up stroke of the loom for imparting forward movement to the feeler, said feeler mechanism also having spring means for imparting backward movement to the feeler for a predetermined distance during backward movement of the bob bin in the shuttle carried by the lay, said improvement comprising means automatically operable upon a filled bobbin being disposed in the shuttle upon a beat-up stroke of the lay for restricting subsequent rearward movement of the feeler upon a backward stroke of the lay and means operable automatically for releasing said feeler from the means for restricting rearward movement thereof upon the filling yarn being substantially exhausted from the shuttle in the course of a beat-up stroke of the lay to subsequently permit said spring means to move the feeler said predetermined distance in a rearward direction.

6. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for automatic looms, said loom having a layand also having a shuttle provided with a bobbin therein on which filling yarn is wound, said filling mechanism having a filling stand secured to the loom and being provided with a feeler which is adapted to be engaged by the yarn on the bobbin upon a beat-up stroke of the loom for imparting forward movement to the feeler, said feeler mechanism also having spring means for imparting backward movement to the feeler for a predetermined distance during backward movement of the bobbin in the shuttle carried by the lay, said improvement comprising means automatically operable upon a filled bobbin being disposed in the shuttle upon a beat-upstroke of the lay for restricting subsequent rearward movement of the feeler upon a backward stroke of the lay and means operable automatically for releasing said feeler from the means for restricting rearward movement thereof upon the filling yarn being substantially exhausted from the shuttle in the course of a beat-up stroke of the lay to subsequently permit said spring means to move the feeler said predetermined distance in a rearward direction, said means for restricting rearward movement of the feeler relative to the feeler stand comprising a latch mounted for longitudinal movement in the feeler stand in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of said feeler, said latch having a surface thereon and also having a hook thereon spaced rearwardly of said surface, a toe portion on the feeler for engaging said surface upon a forward stroke being imparted thereto by a filled bobbin upon a beat-up stroke of the lay for imparting movement to said latch means and for moving said latch about its axis to aline the hook thereon with the toe portion on the feeler and spring means normally urging the hook on said latch out of the path of travel of said toe portion on the feeler whereby, upon failure of a stroke of sufficient length being imported to the feeler in a forward direction to cause the toe portion thereof to engage said surface on the latch for swinging the hook thereon into the path of travel of the toe portion upon a subsequent rearward stroke thereof, said spring means will cause the hook to remain in inoperative position to thus permit a. stroke of normal predetermined length in a rearward direction to be imparted to the feeler by the said first-named spring means and whereby, upon a filled bobbin engaging the rear ehd of the feeler during a beatup stroke of the lay, a sufficient length stroke willbe imparted to the feeler in a forward direction to cause the toe portion thereof to engage the said surface for moving the hook on the latch into .operative position so as to be engaged by the toe portion on thefeeler upon a subsequent rearward stroke thereof and thus restricting the length of its rearward stroke.

. 7. An improvement in a feeler mechanism for automatic looms, said loom having a lay and also having a shuttle provided with a bobbin therein on which filling yarn is wound, said filling mechanism having a filling stand secured to the loom and being provided with a feeler which is adapted to be engaged by the yarn on the bobbin upon a beat-up stroke of the loom for imparting forward movement to the feeler, said feeler mechanism also having spring means for imparting backward movement to the feeler for a predetermined distance during backward' movement of the bobbin in the shuttle carried by the lay, said improvement comprising an upstanding pin disposed in the feeler stand, a latch member provided with a slot slidably penetrated by said pin and permitting said latch to have longitudinal sliding movement and oscillatable movement on said pin, said latch having an outwardly projecting surface thereon and also having a hook spaced rearwardly of said outwardly projecting surface, said feeler having a toe portion thereon adapted to engage said surface on the latch upon a beat-up stroke of the lay whereby, upon a 8; filled bobbin being positioned in the shuttle during a beat-up stroke of the lay, a stroke of predetermined length will be imparted to the feeler causing the toe portion thereon to engage said surface and to swing the latch about the pin on which it is mounted and to also move said latch rearwardly therewith to where the point at which the spring is connected to the latch will be. disposed forwardly of said pin whereby, upon a subsequent rearward stroke of the lay, the firstnamed spring means will urge the feeler rearwardly and the toe portionon the feeler will engage the hook on said latch member for limiting rearward movement of the feeler to a predetermined point and whereby, upon the yarn being substantially exhausted from said bobbin during a later beat-up stroke of the lay, a relatively short stroke will be imparted to the feeler by the bobbin resulting in the toe portion on the feeler barely engaging the surface on the latch and with the result that the point at which said spring means is connected to the latch will be disposed rearwardly of said pin and will thus swing the hook on the latch out of the path of travel of the toe portion on the feeler as the feeler subsequently is moved rearwardly thus permitting the feeler to be moved rearwardly by said first-named spring means beyond said predetermined point.

GEORGE M. LANE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

